Jane almost thought she had misheard.She was the queen. When had Vivian ever harmed her? Wasn't Vivian trying to assassinate George?Jane set down the wine jug in her hand, fixed her gaze on George, and asked, "Are you sure?"George's brows furrowed.Hadn't Henry claimed to already know the full story? He had prepared, however, and took out a wooden box. Inside was the Dreadspawn Larva that had been found in Zen Palace that night.Jane was stunned.Since when did Vivian commit murder with a buy-one-get-one-free deal? How did George even find the Dreadspawn Larva in Zen Palace?Jane suddenly recalled how strange it had been that he had summoned her to Tyrian Palace on the night of his birthday banquet. Could it have been then?George's gaze was icy. It was clear this matter was non-negotiable.Jane steadied herself and spoke."At its root, this stems from the border conflict between the two nations."George raised his eyebrows slightly. However, he didn't interrupt Henry a
"Vivian, what do you take me for?" she asked.How could she possibly be George's lover?Vivian ignored Henry's words. Her eyes filled with murderous intent."I knew it! That low-life stole you from me!"She might just be the first person to ever call the king a low-life.No matter how Henry denied it, Vivian refused to listen. The more she thought about it, the more she believed she had uncovered the truth."You said you liked men, and that low-life king—I've heard he has no interest in women. His harem is nothing but a façade. That Lady Helena of his was probably just a cover too! All so he could hide you, his secret lover!"Vivian had, by sheer coincidence, guessed half of it correctly.Jane was utterly speechless as Vivian kept calling him a low-life and referring to her as his lover."You–" But Vivian was too worked up. Jane couldn't get a word in."Was it him? Did that low-life seduce you? Those three years, how did you even live through them?"As she spoke, Vivian look
Jane read Marissa's letter carefully, not missing a single word. Her gaze gradually turned cold, like permafrost.So it truly had been Jocelyn's doing.Jane clenched the letter, her expression dark with hostility. She wanted nothing more than to rush to the prison and kill Jocelyn with her own hands.But reason triumphed over impulse.Now, more than ever, she had to remain calm. She could not act recklessly without a foolproof plan. Killing Jocelyn would not make her crimes known.The attack on Drakonas Squadron, as well as what happened to Wendy–everything had to come out and bring down Jocelyn in one stroke.Marissa's letter also mentioned Conan.He was brave and fearless, only lacking an opportunity to prove himself. Kennedy and Marissa understood her intentions and would fully support Conan's rise.That left Jane with only one thing to do–secure the token of royal pardon.She had resolved to expose all of Jocelyn's crimes, prepared for mutual destruction if necessary.O
Faced with the maid's accusation, Wilhelmina vehemently denied it."Your Majesty, I don't even know her!"Jane lifted her gaze, her sharp eyes locking onto Wilhelmina."It's not your turn to speak."The maid trembled, stealing a glance at Wilhelmina before quickly lowering her head. She shut her eyes tightly and spoke."It was Lady Wilhelmina who bribed me. She ordered me to tamper with Lady Rachel's birthday gift, hiding poison that causes lifelong infertility–""Nonsense!" Wilhelmina lashed out at the maid in fury. "Your Majesty, you can't convict me based on the words of a mere servant. I did no such thing!"The maid indeed had no evidence. All she could do was repeatedly bow."Your Majesty, I deserve to die a thousand times over, but I swear it was Lady Wilhelmina who gave the order! If I have spoken a single false word, may I be struck by lightning!"Jane's voice remained indifferent. "Step back."The maid trembled as she withdrew, while Wilhelmina still attempted to def
"Greetings, Your Majesty."George personally helped Wendy up. "No need for formalities."The moment he touched her arm, he distinctly felt her resistance. She subtly avoided his touch immediately. He frowned, but only for a fleeting moment.The queen had never been fond of close contact with others. Perhaps it had something to do with her past experiences."Today is your birthday. It is only right that I accompany you."As the recipient of the king's favor, Jane should have expressed her gratitude. Yet, she couldn't help but remain silent for a few seconds.A voice echoed from the depths of her memory. "From now on, I will be with you on every birthday."In an instant, Jane forcibly suppressed the emotions that had no place surfacing."Thank you, Your Majesty."George noticed something was off about her, but he did not press the matter.Earlier in the morning, he had already sent gifts that included precious jewelry and ornaments. Yet now, Steven entered again, leading over a
George abruptly stopped.The sense of intimacy instantly vanished. He stared straight at her."I am a man, nothing more."With that, he kissed her again.Or rather, it wasn't a kiss. He bit down hard on her lips twice before pulling away.Jane fumed. As soon as he backed away, she grabbed his collar and bit back without hesitation. George froze, as if paralyzed. Jane bit him viciously, drawing blood.George's face darkened.'Damn it! This crazy woman!'He grabbed the back of her neck, intending to teach her a harsh lesson.But Jane wasn't afraid of him in the slightest. If he dared to come any closer, she'd make sure he would bleed profusely.Just then, urgent knocks came from outside, accompanied by Karlsen's anxious voice."Your Majesty! I have an urgent matter to report!"George finally let go. He went outside, and after a few moments, Steven announced that the king wouldn't be returning for the night.Lily entered the chamber. "Your Majesty, the king was furious afte
Jane examined the spy's corpse and discovered a small tattoo on the inner side of his arm. At first glance, it looked like a birthmark and wasn't very noticeable.She sketched the tattoo onto paper. It resembled a coiled snake. She had seen this pattern somewhere before. But at the moment, she couldn't recall where.After extensive investigation, she confirmed that it was Jadonia's original totem.Jadonia was located east of Nidora, and after over a dozen generations, its totem had undergone many changes.The only branch that retained the original totem was that of Prince Julian of Jadonia."Vice Leader, in that case, this spy must be from Jadonia!" Donovan breathed a sigh of relief.Finally, there was a lead.It was all thanks to Henry's sharp eyes. If it had been him, with his aging vision, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.Now that they had a direction, things would be easier to handle.Jane immediately mounted her horse and rode east.-Two days later, at an inn on the
Karlsen saw that Henry was seriously injured and wanted to step forward to help. But he was the king's guard and should prioritize the king's safety. He stepped back."Henry, do you need me to find a doctor for you?"Karlsen was truly one of George's men. Just like George, he lacked any form of compassion. Henry was already badly injured. Of course, he needed a doctor.Jane spoke in a weak voice. "Tell His Majesty that the task he entrusted to me has been completed."As she spoke, she handed over a bamboo tube.Karlsen immediately turned and went inside to report, leaving the door open."Master, Henry has returned!"Inside, George had not yet gone to sleep. He was discussing new defense arrangements with Richard and Leighton. Henry's return took him by surprise.He looked through the open door but didn't see Henry anywhere.Karlsen was also confused. In the blink of an eye, Henry had disappeared. There was no time to think about it now. He handed over the bamboo tube to the ki
Jane never told George that Darren had died for her. The Thiberium poisoning had been meant for her. Darren had taken it in her place.She also never told George that Darren had already given her the Miracle Needles manual. At the time, she had been too busy waging war and had only learned half of it. So when he was poisoned, even though she hastily studied the rest, she still couldn't save him in time.Because of this, she could never forgive herself.That night, many struggled to sleep.George and the royal guards practiced combat through the night. The guards were miserable.Rachel lay awake until dawn, unable to calm her excitement about leaving the palace with the king the next day.The next morning, by the break of dawn, Rachel was already dressed and had prepared the offerings.The guards assigned to escort her had the carriage ready. When a concubine left the palace, she had to use the side gate.Rachel, however, didn't get into the carriage right away. Instead, she ask
In the evening, at Tyrian Palace, George was about to settle down for the night when he noticed that Jane was still reading.He walked over. "Is that book really so fascinating?"Jane didn't even look up."I've sent people to investigate the purchase records of floral brocade in recent years. While waiting, I thought I'd search for clues about that nine-tailed serpent motif."George snatched the book from her hands, forcing her to raise her head and look at him. "It could just be an ordinary design.""Perhaps." Jane reached for the book, but he spoke again."There's a military physician in the Northern Battalion with the last name Durand. Was he the one who taught you Miracle Needles?"Jane's gaze subtly shifted.Growing impatient, George pressed further. "I want the truth. Was it him?"Jane's expression was cold and detached. "Yes."A storm brewed within George.The Durand family never passed down the Miracle Needles technique to outsiders—only their own bloodline. That mea
There were screams from within the palace."You scoundrel! Who's sick? Who are you calling delirious? I'm perfectly fine! Ahh! What are you doing!"Since Mary was struggling so violently, Dina had no choice but to order her to be restrained. A moment later, Mary was tied to the bed, thrashing wildly as she shouted toward the door where Dina stood."Mother! Save me!"Dina couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. "Mary, I'm only helping you."Mary was utterly baffled. She had just been quietly embroidering a fragrant pouch, yet her mother suddenly thought she was ill."The queen. Get the queen!" Mary barked at Irene.Wilhelmina, who stood right beside Dina, felt a chill run down her spine.Why call for the queen? Could Mary really have lost her mind?–At Zen Palace, Jane was flipping through ancient texts, searching for any records of the nine-tailed serpent motif.Suddenly, Maya rushed into the inner chamber. She seemed out of breath."Your Majesty! Something terrible ha
"I only heard that Commander Morris was quite close to a military physician, and there were even rumors of an intimate relationship." At this point, Richard hesitated before adding, "But I believe those were baseless rumors. It was most likely just camaraderie between comrades."George's expression turned unusually serious."What is the physician's name, and where is he now?""I only recall that his surname was Durand."'Durand?'George immediately thought of the Miracle Needles. That physician was likely a descendant of the Durand family.Richard had no idea why the king was asking about this, so he returned to the main topic."Your Majesty, since Jocelyn is not the true Commander Morris, why have you not made this public?"George's gaze turned dark."I have my own plans."Right now, all he could think about was that military physician with the surname Durand.–Outside the royal study, Karlsen saw Richard step out and greeted him respectfully.Karlsen's face was expressi
At Grace Palace, Rachel sat in front of the mirror. Her gaze was slightly empty. Aurelia couldn't bear to see her like this."Your Highness, it's getting late."The king not coming didn't mean she should refuse to sleep.Rachel murmured softly, "Yes, it's late."Was the queen accompanying the king at this hour?She used to console herself with the thought that perhaps the queen, like her, was nothing more than a facade to deceive others and had never truly shared the king's bed.But if that were true, why would the king summon her to Tyrian Palace? Even Rosalie had rarely set foot there in the past. This proved that the king truly favored the queen.Then what was she?She had exhausted every means at her disposal, yet she couldn't make the king spare her even a glance.Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.-The next day, during the court session, ministers were still debating over Jocelyn's death."Your Majesty, Commander Morris held great prestige among the people.
Jane proposed making the truth public to prevent the people from continuing to misunderstand. However, George's gaze was extremely cold."There's no need."Now, it was her turn to be confused. Between two difficult choices, one should choose the lesser evil. As a king, did he not understand this?George was very serious."If we expose that Jocelyn is an impostor, the Morris family won't escape punishment. Neither will the tens of thousands of Northern Battalion soldiers."Even if those soldiers were unaware of the truth, people could always find an excuse to accuse them. If that happened and someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the situation, the entire Northern Battalion would be thrown into chaos.By keeping this secret, he could still protect the Morris family and those soldiers.If the truth was revealed, he would have to handle the matter impartially. Otherwise, his authority would be compromised.Jane said nothing.In her heart, she naturally leaned toward her
George saw a light in her eyes that he had never seen before.The surroundings were silent. It was as if, as long as she looked at him like this, he could agree to anything.But he was not so easily swayed.After only a brief moment of distraction, he quickly regained his usual cold and imposing demeanor and spoke in a steady tone."In the second year of my reign, the allied forces of four nations attacked Nidora. I led the army into battle. After the war ended, I returned to the capital, passing through a misty forest on the way. There was an ambush in that forest."While fighting off the assassins, one masked individual released a creature that resembled a salamander. I was bitten by it and poisoned. Only later did I learn that it was Thiberium poisoning."Jane was well aware that Thiberium poisoning involved raising salamanders and feeding them a specially prepared poison daily. Over time, the creatures would absorb the toxins and become what was known as Thiberium, naturally
Mary was feeling guilty. Jocelyn had managed to escape from prison thanks to the Falcon Command Token she had secretly delivered to her. She had known the truth would come to light sooner or later, but she hadn't expected it to be this soon.Even more surprising was that after questioning her for a while, George suddenly stopped. Instead, he changed the subject and solemnly warned her."Mary, I can choose not to punish you for this matter, but from now on, stay away from Zen Palace."Mary's fists clenched involuntarily. She met George's gaze, refusing to back down, and smiled."Your Majesty, you've been on the throne for seven years now, yet you still have no heirs. That's quite unusual, isn't it? I heard from Grandmother that you've decided not to favor the harem unless the queen bears an heir?"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but over the years, you've shown favor to Lady Rosalie and Lady Helena, and even spent nights with Rachel. Yet none of them have conceived. So why do
Mary stared blankly at the person before her.The queen was actually Commander Morris who had saved her all those years ago.Good heavens! What had she been doing all this time?She had actually believed Jocelyn and gone against the queen at every turn. She had even exposed the queen's marriage substitution.For the sake of Jocelyn, an impostor, she had nearly caused the death of her true savior.At this moment, Mary was filled with regret and remorse.Jane lowered her gaze to the bracelet on her wrist and sensed something was off.Their eyes met suddenly. Mary's gaze was emotional, her voice trembling. "You–"She had countless things to say, but she didn't know where to start."Commander, I personally measured your wrist for this bracelet. Now, do you still wish to deny it?" Mary gazed at her intently.Jane's brows furrowed slightly. "Princess–"Mary interrupted her. "I was a fool. I conspired with Jocelyn and went against you at every turn. It's only natural that you bla